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Treatise on Habits and Virtues

Thomas Aquinas

A section of Aquinas's Summa Theologiae on habits and virtues, central to his ethical theory.

Written by Aquinas, this section lays out his influential theory of virtue and habit.

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What it is

This is part of the Summa Theologiae written by Thomas Aquinas. It covers habits in general and then moves to virtues, including moral, intellectual and theological virtues.

Why it matters

Aquinas's treatment of virtue shaped Catholic moral theology for centuries. By classifying virtues and discussing where they come from and how they can be lost, Aquinas tried to explain how people become good through practice as well as grace, blending Aristotelian ethics with Christian theology.

Look closer

  • Why might Aquinas separate "intellectual" virtues from "moral" virtues?
  • What does the structured list of questions tell you about how medieval scholars approached big ideas?
  • What might be left out of a system that tries to categorize all human goodness this way?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Saint Thomas Aquinas on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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